The Cretan company XALKIAKIS S.A. has been active in the supermarket sector since 1980. When it first started, the market landscape in Crete was completely different from what we know today. Small stores, neighborhood grocery shops, and small produce stands. The Xalkiadakis brothers managed to introduce a new way of shopping to Crete. Variety and consistent quality, and now the customers of Heraklion would experience “self-service,” heralding the dawn of a new era that would eventually reach Crete as well. The young entrepreneurs knew the Cretan consumer well. Being Cretans themselves, they felt a sense of responsibility toward the customer—a customer who, however, was not a stranger or an unknown. He was a friend, a neighbor, a relative, or at the very least, an acquaintance. And a friend demands respect from his friend. And it is on this philosophy that the slogan that has guided the chain to this day was built: “Xalkiadakis Supermarket—the name you trust.”

The fact that the Xalkiadakis family lives and operates within Cretan society allows them to maintain daily contact with consumers and to gain firsthand insight into the needs of the Cretan people. With a presence across all major cities in Crete, as the largest employer in the island’s retail sector with over 1, 600 people on its payroll and supporting the island’s social fabric in every way possible through charitable, athletic, and social initiatives, the Xalkiadakis company is considered the supermarket of the Cretans. The company is supported by and supports the Cretan economy: Cretan products take pride of place on the chain’s shelves, and the strategy of supporting Cretan producers is evident in all sectors where they operate.

In January 2015, the chain became part of the Greek Sklavenitis Group, which acquired the shares previously held by Veropoulos. Its local roots, history, the interaction with the island’s social fabric and the people of Xalkiadakis S.A., combined with the reliability of I&S Sklavenitis—Greece’s largest supermarket group—have resulted in a robust business operating in a challenging economic environment. The group’s size and expertise ensure the ability to sell a wide variety of products at very low prices.

The people of Xalkiadakis S.A. are its strength. The large family of employees across the length and breadth of the island are ambassadors of the founders’ principles and commitment to quality, and to this day they have managed to keep the slogan “Xalkiadakis Supermarket: the name you trust" alive in the consciousness of the Cretan people. The vast majority of the company’s executives have grown up alongside the business and have proven their worth by starting at the bottom of the hierarchy. And there is no stronger motivation for an entrepreneur on the path to success than knowing that so many people depend on him: over 1,600 employees, as well as hundreds more partners, suppliers, and local producers. Their trust in the company, as well as the company’s commitment to an uncompromising and consistent response to the needs of Cretan consumers, are the driving force and the heart and soul of Xalkiadakis S.A.